Art Therapy can Prove to be Very Beneficial

Art Therapy can Prove to be Very Beneficial

One treatment for addiction, anxiety and emotional exploration is art therapy. Using art media, creativity and the resulting artwork, art therapy focuses on the art-making process as therapeutic.

As one of the earliest forms of psychotherapy, art therapy uses the therapist as a translator to interpret what it is the patient is trying to convey through the art.

Art therapy uses an array of different approaches including cognitive, narrative, person-centered and even Gestalt. This type of therapy can often times help make a patient more self-aware and can foster personal growth.

This is a newer kind of therapy to the world of psychology. It originated in the mid-20th century in English speaking and European countries. Doctors during this era noted that people suffering from different mental illnesses were able to express themselves in drawings and other art forms when words didn’t work.

Art therapy is also non-discriminatory working for all ages, from children to adults. The creative process of art therapy helps therapists to determine root causes for a patient’s anger and stress, it helps to work through traumatic experiences and helps with cognition. Art therapy can also be combined with other forms of therapy techniques, like group therapy.